Senior Private Sector Development Specialist

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Close relatives¹ of ADB staff, except spouses of international staff, are not eligible for recruitment and appointment to staff positions. Applicants are expected to disclose if they have any relative/s by consanguinity/blood, by adoption and/or by affinity/marriage presently employed in ADB.

¹Close relatives refer to spouse, children, mother, father, brother and sister, niece, nephew, aunt and uncle

Staff on probation are not eligible to apply. Applicants for promotion must have served at their position for at least one year and must have normally served at their personal level for at least two years immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date. Applicants for lateral transfer must have served at their position and personal level for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date (reference A.O. 2.03, paragraphs 5.8 and 5.9).

In the event that the staff appointed to a new category (i.e. from AS to NS, or from NS to IS) is rated at 2 or lower in the first two performance reviews after appointment at the new level, they will return to the level occupied immediately prior to their appointment in the new category.

This is a special fixed-term appointment for a period of three (3) years following Section 3.1 (c.) of Administrative Order No. 2.01 (“Recruitment and Appointment’). This appointment is not convertible to a regular appointment. It may be extended on exceptional basis for a further fixed period at the option of ADB. This appointment is open to internal and external applicants.

If the successful candidate is an ADB staff member holding a regular appointment, his/her regular appointment will be converted to a special fixed-term appointment. A special fixed-term appointment will automatically and without prior notice expire at the end of the term.

Overview

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Manila, Philippines and is composed of 68 members, 49 of which are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB combines finance, knowledge, and partnerships to fulfill its expanded vision under its Strategy 2030.

ADB only hires nationals of its 68 members.

The position is assigned in the Sri Lanka Resident Mission (SLRM), South Asia Department

To view ADB Organizational Chart, please click here.

Job Purpose

The Senior Private Sector Development (PSD) Specialist will lead Sri Lanka Resident Mission (SLRM)’s efforts to accelerate private sector development and increase public-private partnerships (PPP) in Sri Lanka. The position will be involved in (i) the development and management of relationship with potential clients in the public and private sector, (ii) the screening and identification of opportunities for private sector involvement and public-private partnerships in ADB’s assistance program in Sri Lanka, (iii) the support to ADB’s PPP operations including capacity building, creating enabling environment, project preparation and transaction advisory services, and sovereign and non-sovereign financing, (iv) the upstream works of creating long-term value and bankable projects for ADB’s non-sovereign operations, (v) the supports to ADB’s sovereign/non-sovereign investment activities in Sri Lanka, including project conceptualization/deal origination, due diligence, loan processing, deal execution, and portfolio management, (vi) the supports to ADB’s knowledge services in Sri Lanka from the perspective of investment climate, private sector development, and public-private partnerships, and (vii) the processing and implementation of ADB’s disaster response assistance to Sri Lanka.

The position will report to the Country Director for Sri Lanka and will supervise national and administrative staff.

Responsibilities

1. Business Development

• Monitors the development needs for Sri Lanka’s private sector and opportunities for public-private partnership and identifies opportunities for ADB’s sovereign, non-sovereign, and transaction advisory service assistances.
• Assists in identification of suitable activities for capacity building and enabling environment through upstream policy/regulatory/institutional reform that ultimately support or lead to enhance private sector intervention and/or PPP activities.
• Assists in origination of project preparation support and transaction advisory services in key sectors with effective and efficient marketing, negotiation and due diligence of PPP-related issues and projects in Sri Lanka.
• Leads the sourcing of new investment opportunities in Sri Lanka and builds a high-quality investment pipeline, including by leveraging personal networks and relationships.
• Leads the identification of opportunities for collaboration between public and private sectors, between ADB, development partners, and/or private sector investors, and between ADB’s sovereign, non-sovereign, and transaction advisory service operations.

2. Investment and Operation

• Leads the preliminary evaluation of investment opportunities, and the assessment of investment risks, including analyzing financial data and performing business and investment valuation.
• Conducts policy dialogue with governments, development partners, the private sector, and other stakeholders to identify and address challenges to scaling up private sector development and PPPs in Sri Lanka.
• Leads the liaison with SARD’s sector divisions, Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD), Office of Public-Private Partnership (OPPP), and other relevant departments and/or offices for project processing and implementation.
• Supports, guides, and leads as required ADB’s sovereign and/or non-sovereign project teams in the life-cycle investment due diligence, close process, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Liaises with Project Administration Unit of SLRM and the portfolio management teams of PSOD and OPPP for portfolio management, with a focus on non-sovereign and PPP operations, and develops systems and tools for SLRM’s overall portfolio monitoring and management.
• Leads, with the One-ADB approach, the processing and implementation of ADB’s disaster response assistance to Sri Lanka.

3. External Relations and Coordination

• Establishes and manages effective relationship with relevant government agencies, development partners, civil society, and other key stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s public sector.
• Networks and interacts with entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and other key stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s private sector, and builds relationships with major commercial lenders, institutional investors, insurers and the commercial arms of multilateral and bilateral agencies.

4. Strategy and Planning

• Contributes to the development of strategies and policies for ADB’s developmental goals for the private sector in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinates work with other departments on strategy and policy related matters.
• Provides input for Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) and annual business plans, focusing on the coordination and collaboration between sovereign and non-sovereign operations, and on the private sector development.

5. Knowledge Services

• Leads or assists ADB’s knowledge services related to private sector development, public-private partnership, investment climate, investment trends, and other relevant topics to accommodate issues and challenges related to private sector investment and PPP with innovative solutions, and to establish and maintain effective networks with the relevant ministries, government agencies and international and local key players in the market
• Maintains and shares knowledge of emerging best practices in the market of Sri Lanka, as well as from the regional and global markets.
• Prepares, reviews, and/or provides comments on policy, knowledge, and/or project papers related to private sector development, PPP and other ADB operations.
• Organizes, participates in, and contributes to relevant knowledge-sharing events.

6. Staff Supervision and Team Building

• Leads the establishment of a task team on Sri Lanka’s private sector development and public-private partnerships and takes the role of task team leader.
• Develops and implements a capacity development program for the task team.
• Supervises the performance of reporting staff, provides clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on performance.
• Ensures the on-going learning and development of reporting staff.

Qualifications

Relevant Experience & Requirements

• University degree in business, finance, accounting, marketing or other related areas. Engineering or other related specialized fields.
• At least 10 years’ relevant experience in project and/or corporate finance, and sovereign and/or non-sovereign portfolio management.
• Experience in building and managing new teams, including setting-up and capacity development processes.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and strong interpersonal skills
• Diversified international experience working in the development sector/institutions (e.g., development finance institutions, development agencies, and/or commercial banks etc.) in several countries.
• Please refer to thelinkfor ADB Competency Framework for International Staff Level 5.

General Considerations

The selected candidate, if new to ADB, is appointed for an initial term of 3 years.

ADB offers competitive remuneration and a comprehensive benefits package. Actual appointment salary will be based on ADB’s standards and computation, taking into account the selected individual’s qualifications and experience.

ADB seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities to work in an inclusive environment. ADB encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Please note that the actual level and salary will be based on qualifications of the selected candidate.